Tag: zero waste

Last year was a great zero waste/low waste/eco-friendly year for me. I started this blog, reduced our household trash production by A LOT, and became a Recycling Ambassador with my city. But we (I) can always do better so here are some goals/resolutions/whatever you want to call it for the coming year. And, also, comment and tell me what your green goals are for this year!

Find a facial bar soap I like. Makeup and skincare products are my “luxury items” — and while I try to buy in glass as much as possible, and recycle everything else with TerraCycle/Origins/L’Occitane… I can do better. So my goal this year is to go totally zero waste when it comes to face wash. I’m thinking this or this.

Re-start my “buy no new clothes” resolution from last year. Last year, I went 10 months (after initially shooting for one month, then three) without buying any new clothing items (except underwear). And by “no new” — I mean, every clothing item I buy must be thrifted (whether at a physical store or from eBay/Poshmark/ThredUp). I’m hoping to go at least 6 months this year.

Save excess shower/bath water, pasta water, tea pot water, etc. in a bucket to use to water plants during the summer. It gets incredibly hot here in Dallas during the summer and my roses drink a lot of water during this time. So I’m going to make an effort to save water that would otherwise go down the drain at home to water the outdoor plants.

Buh-bye 2018 because 2019 is upon us! If you haven’t gotten on the eco-friendly train yet… what are you waiting for?! I know it can be intimidating at first so (in honor of the new year) let’s take it back to basics. If you are completely new to the zero/low waste world, welcome, and let’s get started on THE simplest, easiest things you can do to start your journey this year.

Ditch paper towels for both cleaning and dining. Have old hand towels, rags, those random towels you get at basketball games? Use them to mop up spills and clean your countertops. For dining, either grab a pack of cloth napkins or make your own using an old flat sheet. When they are dirty, throw it in your laundry, reuse, repeat.

Commit to taking your own bags to the grocery store. Seriously. It’s so easy to do. Keep both reusable produce bags and grocery bags (you know you have those free bags you’ve accumulated from random events) in your car. Use them.

Switch from body wash in plastic containers with hard to recycle pumps to a bar soap. You can find unwrapped, locally made bar soaps at Whole Foods, farmer’s markets, Etsy, etc. It’s zero waste AND you’ll support a local small business — win, win.

Brown paper packages tied up with strings… these are a few of my favorite things!

Happy Hanukkah! Merry Christmas! Happy gift giving! So you picked out the perfect, thoughtful, mindful, gift — now what? I, like many others, love seeing beautifully wrapped presents under the Christmas tree. I also love watching the joy on people’s faces as they slowly (or not so slowly) unwrap their gifts. So how can we present beautiful gifts without producing waste that goes to the landfill? Here are your options!

The BadFirst off — check to make sure your local recycling facility accepts wrapping paper. Most do with some caveats. If your wrapping paper has metallic accents or glitter, it is NOT recyclable. Also, bows, ribbons, tinsel, most tape, etc. are all trash. Basically, avoid getting super “extra” wrapping paper, sticking it together with shiny tape, and then putting bows and other things on it.

The GoodAs mentioned above, wrapping paper can be recycled if it doesn’t have metallic accents or glitter. So if you want to use wrapping paper, pick the simpler options at the store and recycle post-gift giving. The same goes for paper gift bags without any additional frills. The upside with plain gift bags is that they can be reused multiple times before being recycled.

The BetterIf you’re going the wrapping paper route, you can do one better and use compostable kraft paper or eco-friendly gift wrap (like this one or this). Make sure to wrap with washi tape, kraft tape, or 100% cotton twine.

The BestI always think the best option is what you already have. So if you have wrapping paper, old gift bags, beautiful shopping bags from Anthropologie, etc. — use those up first. However, if you are starting from scratch, there are some great zero waste wrapping options. Furoshiki (Japanese wrapping cloth), cloth produce bags, and mason jars are all useful and reusable. Add a little something extra with a small pine tree branch or beautiful leaves or acorns tied with twine.

Depending on where you live, it can oftentimes be difficult to find some items in bulk (i.e. without packaging) or even plastic-free items — particularly when it comes to cleaning and certain body care products. Here’s a list of places you can order online for either package free or plastic free products.

Etsy: Search to your heart’s content for personal, home, and travel products without packaging (or with plastic-free packaging). Many vendors are more than willing to ship items without plastic if you ask!

First off, what is a zero waste car kit? Basically — it’s the collection of items you always have stored in your car that’ll help reduce your waste while you are out and about in the world. This includes items needed for grocery shopping, coffee buying, eating out, etc. I love having a car kit because it keeps me from forgetting anything at home and I’m always prepared for any scenario.

So what’s in my kit? And how do you create your own? Gather the following:

1. A cardboard box. I use this to corral all my items together in my trunk so things don’t roll around all over the place. Use whatever you have — a canvas bag, an Amazon box, a reusable shopping bag.

2. Items used when grocery shopping. This includes your reusable shopping bags and produce bags. We all know this, right?

3. Mason jars (I recommend the 16 oz. size). These come in handy for multiple scenarios. You can use them when buying bulk at the grocery store or farmer’s market. Or if you’re craving a frappuccino from Starbucks and your reusable coffee cup won’t hold all the delicious whipped cream. Or you just need some water from the park water fountain. I’ve even gotten a soda in mine from a fast food joint where the only option was the throwaway cup. If you don’t have mason jars, use clean glass pasta sauce or condiment jars.

4. Eating out items. I have an old fork/spoon and reusable straw wrapped in a cloth napkin ready to go if I’m someplace with only plastic options. I also keep a reusable coffee cup for any on the go hot beverage purchases.

5. Take out container. I have an old lunch box (that was meant to hold a sandwich + 2 “sides”) that I keep in the car for when I need to take home leftovers from a restaurant. Did I feel a little self conscious the first time I shoved enchiladas and leftover rice + beans in my little box from home? Sure. Worth it? Yep. This is a good use for any leftover plastic tupperware containers you have in the house.

And that’s it. Put together whatever you already have at home in a little “kit” and you won’t be caught off guard when out in a world that hasn’t 100% caught on to reducing waste just yet.

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About

Howdy! I'm Meera. I'm a native Texan, a general badass, wife, doggo mom x 3, world traveler, and minimalist with zero waste aspirations. When not working as a grants manager at an awesome non-profit, I read an excessive number of YA books, play with my adorable puppers, constantly rearrange our home, and travel the world with my lovely husband.

You'll find me writing (solely for fun!) about my adventures in minimalism, zero waste, house sprucing, traveling, food, finances, and self care -- all while trying to live the simple life.